Taxpayer Advocacy and Health Freedom Lawsuits Challenge Government Overreach

On November 16, 2022, taxpayer advocate Natalie Menten and Health Freedom Defense Fund founder Leslie Manookian joined Kim Monson to expose government overreach at every level, from local ballot initiatives to federal vaccine mandates, and to announce groundbreaking lawsuits challenging corporate America’s complicity in stripping Americans of their constitutional rights.

Defeating Local Tax Increases Through Citizen Engagement

Start listening at 31:48 – Hour 1

Natalie Menten explains how her Ballot 2022 initiative helped Colorado taxpayers defeat local tax increases by submitting against arguments in voter guides. The former RTD board director compiled nearly 300 public information requests to identify every local ballot issue across the state, giving citizens the lead time they needed to participate in TABOR Notice to Increase Elections. Her work empowered ordinary citizens to have their voices heard alongside the government entities pushing for higher taxes.

Menten describes the compressed timeline that benefits government entities seeking tax hikes, noting that governments can lobby through newsletters and school mailings before measures officially appear on ballots. The process allows public information officers to ensure pro-tax arguments appear in voter guides while leaving taxpayers scrambling to meet tight deadlines. In Jefferson County, her efforts helped defeat three ballot issues with less than $2,000 in opposition spending, proving that informed citizens can overcome well-funded government campaigns.

Kim Monson shares her own experience defeating Douglas County school district tax increases, including a $60 million mill levy override and over $700 million in new debt. She notes that government entities have tried to brand citizen opposition as misinformation, raising questions about who fact-checks the entities asking for more taxpayer money. Menten emphasizes that there are no real penalties when government districts violate electioneering rules, making citizen vigilance essential to protecting taxpayer rights.

“We can also be on offense and being the one going out to fight for the taxpayers with ballot issues.”

Natalie Menten, Taxpayer Advocate and Government Watchdog

CDC Mask Mandate Lawsuit Heads to Appeals Court

Start listening at 70:20 – Hour 2

Leslie Manookian clarifies the status of her organization’s lawsuit against the CDC’s travel mask mandate. On April 18, 2022, a federal judge struck down the nationwide mandate as arbitrary, capricious, and an overreach of CDC authority. The ruling led to jubilant scenes of travelers removing their masks on airplanes and flight attendants collecting discarded masks in garbage bags. The Department of Justice appealed, and oral arguments are scheduled for January 17 in Miami. Manookian explains that the CDC and TSA cannot currently enforce any mandate while the case proceeds.

Manookian distinguishes this case from a separate TSA lawsuit that the Supreme Court declined to hear, emphasizing that her case against the CDC remains very much alive. She expresses optimism about the merits, noting that never before in American history has the CDC claimed such sweeping authority to force healthy people to wear masks on public transportation. The DOJ’s recent voluntary dismissal of an appeal in a Florida federal contractor vaccine mandate case suggests the government recognizes the weakness of its position on these overreach cases.

In breaking news announced exclusively on the show, Health Freedom Defense Fund filed suit the previous night in federal court in Oregon, supporting three former Nike employees who are suing for punitive damages over religious discrimination, medical discrimination, and battery related to Nike’s COVID-19 injection mandate. The employees include senior managers with seven to 31 years of tenure who were fired despite having no disciplinary issues. One employee suffered a severe autoimmune reaction after being coerced into getting the shot when Nike delayed her accommodation request until after she had already received the injection. The lawsuit aims to send a message to corporate America that employees are not disposable and that trampling constitutional rights has real consequences.

“Every single act of compliance is feeding that beast.”

Leslie Manookian, Founder, Health Freedom Defense Fund